Mark Winston
Voice, Piano
About
I am a singer, pianist, composer, and audio engineer. I grew up in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where I learned piano, trombone, and guitar. I earned my BA in Music from the University of Chicago and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. I studied classical voice privately with teachers in Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque including Michael Hix, Katherine Kasch, and Jo Rodenburg. I’ve been a soloist, cantor, and chorister at Holy Name Cathedral and Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago. In 2023, I made my Lincoln Center debut as baritone soloist for Trotta’s Seven Last Words at David Geffen Hall in New York. I’ve recorded albums with The Dead Superheroes Orchestra, The Walking Shadows, Chicago Chorale, and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with Bella Voce (Naxos Records).
Music
My vocal concert program features works for voice and piano. The major work on the program is Vaughan Williams’ classic song cycle Songs of Travel, as well as art songs, arias, and musical theater works in which travel is a major thematic element. Other works on the program include Debussy’s “Beau Soir,” Mahler’s “Nicht Wiedersehen,” Ponce’s “Estrellita” and “Lejos de ti,” and “Vi ravviso” from Bellini’s La Sonnambula. My frequent collaborator in New Mexico is pianist Robert Krupnick.
As a classical musician with hispanic heritage, it is particularly important to me to include works by composers who share that heritage. I’ve included songs by the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce on this program, performing his songs in their original format with piano accompaniment. Additionally, when schedules line up, my twin brother Craig Winston joins me on guitar for the Ponce songs–a fitting way to celebrate the works of a composer who was famous for his songs and guitar music.